CHENNAI: Ten containers containing at least 180 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at a freight station in Manali was shifted to a buyer in Hyderabad on Sunday. This comes days after many reports stated that around 700 tonnes of chemical seized in 2015 had been sitting in the city.
The customs officials along with city police and fire safety department sent off 10 containers containing ammonium nitrate (prill type) to a company in Hyderabad after the online auction, said a senior police officer. The containers are being transported after necessary safety precautions are taken, said the police.
After unsafely stored ammonium nitrate killed over 150 people and injured thousands in Beirut, concerns were raised over 740 metric tonnes of the chemical that have remained in storage under the custody of the Customs Department in Chennai, for years.
Sources from the Customs Department had said 740 tonnes of ammonium nitrate and valued at Rs 1.80 crore was seized by the Customs from Sri Amman Chemicals of Karur, in November 2015. The importer had misdeclared the goods as ammonium nitrate of fertilizer grade, whereas on examination it was found to be of explosive grade and had not followed Ammonium Nitrate Rules 2012. The seized containers were lying at Sattva Hi Tech Container Freight Station in Manali.
Rs 1.80 crore
The value of 740 tonnes of ammonium nitrate seized from Sri Amman Chemicals of Karur, in November 2015